FULLERTON, Calif. - Cal State Fullerton will host Utah Valley on Saturday in what will be their final non-conference game of the season. It will be game one of a Fullerton double-header with the men's team playing Portland at 6:00 p.m.
This will be the fourth time the two programs have matched up with the Titans winning the last matchup 73-36 last season.
The Wolverines are currenlty on a two-game win streak including a win over Big West foe UC Riverside last Saturday. However, UVU has yet to win a game outside of Orem this year going 0-4 on the road. They only have two averaging double-figures led by Jordan Holland's 12.3 points per game. Eve Braslis is right behind her with 10.2 and leads the team in rebounding with 6.7 per game.
50TH ANNIVERSARY
This season marks the 50th year of women's basketball at Cal State Fullerton. The program made its debut in the 1969-70 season and won the CIAW National Championship that year. The program's history will be celebrated January 5 against Hawaii
LAST TIME OUT
Fullerton had their five-game winning streak snapped against Pacific in a 64-72 loss. It was a close game for the first half as the Titans trailed by just three at the break, but the Tigers hit hard and heavy on the offensive glass and took control of the game in the second half. Raina Perez and Hannah Thompson led the way with 16 points each.
IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Several Titans have found their way into the record books on the all-time career leaderboards:
Hannah Thompson.......3rd in Three-Point Percentage (37.1%)
Jade Vega...................11th in Assists (331)
Daeja Smith................2nd in Blocks (121)
.................................5th in Double-Doubles (25)
.................................7th in Rebounds (716)
.................................9th in Field Goal Percentage (48.8%)
ROAD TO 1K
Only 23 Titans have ever surpassed the 1,000-point mark for their careers, but there could be two more to reach it this year. Daeja Smith currently sits at 978 and Jade Vega is behind her at 948. They rank 26th and 28th respectively all-time.
EXCLUSIVE CLUB
Daeja Smith surpassed 950-career points and 700-career rebounds against UAV. That makes her just the 8th player in program history to reach both of those marks. She currently sits at 978 points and 716 rebounds.
DAEJA-VU
Picking up where she left off last year, Daeja Smith has shown why she's on the Lisa Leslie Award watch list. Through 10 games, she has four double-doubles, averaging 14.2 ppg and 9.9 rpg. Her best game came against CBU when she set a career-high 26 points to go along with 16 rebounds.
GAME CHANGER
Raina Perez was forced to redshirt last season, but has shown everyone what she's capable of already this year. After missing the first game, she is averaging 13.6 points per game and 6.2 assists in a team high 35.5 minutes per game. She has also scored in double-figures in all but one game this year.
RED HOT KIWI
Freshman Amiee Book has been absolutely on fire from the field this season. In seven games, she is shooting 55.6%% (45-81) from the field and 48.7% (19-39) from three. She also ranks fourteenth in the Big West with 10.4 ppg and has scored in double-figures in seven of her eleven games this season.
IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Titans have several players ranking in the Top 25 in the NCAA. Raina Perez is 15th in total assists and 14th in assists per game; Daeja Smith is ranked 22nd in rebounds; and Jade Vega is ranked 23rd in made free throws. Vega is also just outside of the top 25 in total assists ranking 26th.
SHARING IS CARING
This year's Fullerton team plays very unselfishly passing up good shots for great shots. Because of that, they lead have 190 assists on the year averaging 15.8 per game. Those rank 40th and 62nd in the NCAA respectively.
ON FIRE FROM THE FIELD
The Titans have shot lights out from the field so far this year, leading the conference shooting 44.4% from the field leading to 68.2 points per game which is the third highest scoring team in the Big West.
TURNING THE PROGRAM AROUND
Coach Harada and company wasted no time improving the program as they eclipsed the 2015-16 and 2016-17 combined win total in their first year with eight wins. They are already at 7 through their first 11 games this year.
HOLIDAY TITANS PACK
Give the Gift of Titans Basketball with the Holiday Titans Pack! The Holiday Titans Pack includes:
• General Admission Ticket to the Conference Home Game of YOUR choice
• Hot Dog
• Small Soda
• T-Shirt
BUY NOW - Women's Basketball Holiday Titan Pack - $10
This is one offer you don't want miss out on. Offer expires January 4, 2019
SUPPORT THE TITANS!
Fans can purchase tickets for various Cal State Fullerton athletic events by visiting FullertonTitans.com/Tickets. The Athletic Ticket Office can also be contacted by phone at 657-278-2783 or by email at athletictixs@fullerton.edu. The Ticket Office is located at the Titan House off of Gymnasium Drive at the eastern end of the Intramural Fields and is open from 10 am – 4 pm PT, Monday – Friday.
FOLLOW THE TITANS!
Fans can keep up with the latest in Titan Athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook/FullertonTitans), Twitter (@FullertonTitans), and Instagram (FullertonTitans). In addition, the softball team has established its own Twitter (@FullertonWBB) and Instagram accounts (@FullertonWBB).
